GAP Analysis Predicted Distribution Map

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)

Species Code: PAHA

Legend:
= Core Habitat
= Marginal Habitat

Breeding Range Map
The green area shows the predicted habitats for breeding only. The habitats were identified using 1991 satellite imagery, Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA), other datasets and experts throughout the state, as part of the Washington Gap Analysis Project. Habitats used during non-breeding months and migratory rest-stops were not mapped.

Metadata (Data about data or how the map was made)

Click to enlarge distribution map

Other maps & Information:

Breeding Bird Atlas
NatureMapping observations
during breeding season
NatureMapping observations
throughout the year

This species is common along large water bodies in lower-elevation forested landscapes on both sides of the Cascade crest. It is a rare breeder in steppe zones along large rivers. Large nests are built on dead trees or artificial structures, always near water. They are rare in steppe areas in Yakima, Klickitat, Benton, Franklin, and Walla Walla Counties, but known to nest along the Yakima River south to Zillah and along the Walla Walla River up to Walla Walla, and one nest is known from Richland. They are uncommon at higher elevations, but can be found nesting as high as Ross Lake, and foraging at even higher elevations, such as in the Snoqualmie Pass and White Pass areas. In northeastern Washington, they are found along major river valleys, especially along the Pend Oreille River, where they are very common.

Good habitat in the core areas of use included water/wetlands and shoreline habitats below the Sub-alpine Fir and Mountain Hemlock zones, within breeding-range limits.

Despite the presence of large wetlands with suitable prey, Ospreys rarely nest in the central Columbia Basin, where summers are very hot and dry. Along the Pend Oreille River, there is an extremely high concentration of nesting Ospreys; in 1995, 22 nests were visible from one viewing spot at Usk. In Washington, Breeding Bird Survey data show a significant population increase of 11.7% per year from 1982 to 1991.

Translated from the Washington Gap Analysis Bird Volume by Uchenna Bright
Text edited by Gussie Litwer
Webpage designed by Dave Lester